Tacoma Spring refurbishing

Those are great donors to configure, yes you are on right track....

Good on you guys for paying attention & grasping the concept...

Does this mean your shocks are too short ??... You may want to re configure shock mounts like mentioned....

 

I'm getting ready to build a set for my new-to-me '04 DC...

 

I found a guy in town parting out a 77 1 ton chevy. CAN'T WAIT for him to be ready to pull the springs next week.


What do you think OMD? @4WD

 

I think I see a lot of rust, do they salt heavy where your at ? I mean rust isn't a deal killer unless the pitting is so bad it becomes a safety issue,but you won't know until you scale the springs, if thats the best set you can find use them, I'd probably keep looking tho'.....

 

Hey Doug! Does this mean you got a new ride?

 

Yes sir this time in a DC...she ain't much yet...

 

They don't really salt at all where I'm at in Oregon. I don't know the history of the truck though. I'll take a closer look when I go to pull them though and see if it looks like surface rust or bad pitting. But the price is nearly free so..... I'm such a cheap skate.

And I like the new ride! It's always hit or miss for me when a truck is red. Mostly depending on how bad the paint is fading. That one looks pretty good.

 

Scale them until you hit shiny steel & check for deep pitting, if mostly surface pits probably ok to use...

I wanted white, but.....haha

 

Any one know what leaf pack off what truck has a leaf pack that's kind of flat like the Tacoma ? Got a dropped prerunner ( ) and want a leaf pack that can handle a little more weight say 500 lbs with out sagging to much. Had spring shop here but went out of business so custom made one out of the picture . Thanks

 

After much pain, I took @4WD's words of caution to heart and passed on those chevy springs. But after a while on CL I found these gems. Supposedly out of a 1965 (or 75) Ford 1 ton. I start school this week but hope to have some time to break these down and get all my leafs cleaned, cut, and painted before I take my main out of my pickup. I'll take pictures and post up some results.

 

I thought lowering a truck required an understanding that it's unlikely to be very good at hauling anything.

How is it lowered?

I have wondered if the flatter springs from the front of old pickups could be used without an overload for a better hauling spring. I mean if you threw a couple in there to stiffen it up it would be a harsh ride but wouldn't squat as bad.

 

Tundra racing lowering kit . Spring under axle not slammed . Still use as a truck . Just wanting to beef springs up a little .

 

Well I don't know what your leaf's currently look like but from what I understand from this thread the dodge Dakota pickups have flatter(ish) leaves. But these are for the custom cut and installation in your current packs. Not a bolt off/bolt on sort of deal.

 

Thanks might check out those springs . Springs sit the same as stock but just under axle now. So bump stops got about 2 in clearance from frame .

 

Hey Doug,
Hope you are having fun in the sun.
Just a belated update. The rebuilt springs are still pretty stiff but ride pretty good with new Skyjackers on, still a bit of a bro lean, next option is likely a 1-2" shackle. It handles the weight pretty good, and rode better once I pulled the 2nd AAL out. Thanks again for you help. I'll update the thread next spring when I get back home

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/85-suspension-revisted.338615/

 

How do you determine how long the shocks need to be after rebuilding the packs? It seems that some guys didnt need to install extended shocks but others have gone with 9" extend. I'm working on my packs now, and this is the one thing that I am unsure of. I will also be installing a U bolt flip which means I'll have to relocate my lower shock mounts.

 

I think the general consensus is install the leafs the way you want them and then measure with full droop and full stuff. Maybe run the stockers (or junkers) just until you can get the ones you need.

I've always wondered if you could get away with welding the stock mount to the u bolt flip plate so it's semi stock setup but maybe longer shocks?

 

Thanks for the help!

 

UPDATE: I just completed doing this to my '99 extended cab. Worked great! I used an 8 (7+ OL) pack set out of an '83 suburban. Hindsight, I probably could have chosen a set with better arch, although these seemed to me to have a fair amount.

I started by adding two donors to my stock pack, cutting the first one 3.5" shorter on each end from the bottom stock pack, and the next donor consecutive to that. Before adding the donors, I was about 2" lower in the back running 2" lift shackles (front is OME 882 coils and top spacer). After adding the donors, I removed the lift shackle and used my stock one, which brought me back to about the same height. Since it was still not level with the front, I decided to go ahead and build off my main leaf. I cut the two donors beneath the main leaf the same length as stock, then added my two donors that I had already tried, giving me a 5 pack. Doing this leveled it out with the front and seems to ride well right now, haven't mounted the new lower shock mounts from the U bolt flip yet. It is definitely better than before!

One thing that baffles me is for some reason one of the leasf that I added under the main leaf on one side won't line up pefectly. I can square it up in the center of the pack but on the front and the back I had to split the difference because I could not get the leaf to center up to the main. It wants to over hang to one side on the ends. Essentially, there is about a 1/16-1/8" of a gap between the edge of the donor and the edge of the main, leaving part of the main hanging off of the donor to one side just on the end. I'm not sure why it's like that because the rest of the leafs in that pack squared up fine. Since the vast majority of the surface is touching between the main leaf and that donor, I suppose I'm going to roll with it and just keep an eye on it.

 

So did you use ONLY your main? My pack has the main and then the next one has the wrap (military wrap ???) toward the front. So it goes around the front eye of my main leaf but stops like 4-6 inches shy of the back eye. I'm thinking the packs in my pickup may be an aftermarket replacement... Weird numbers on the tops of them.

Pics?